


If We Could Live Forever

by adaysworthofhours



Category: Dance with Devils (Anime)
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Fix-It, Fluff, I Ship It, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Requited Love, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29343228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adaysworthofhours/pseuds/adaysworthofhours
Summary: Tachibana Ritsuka is simply trying to juggle her job as a highschool teacher along with the demands of taking care of her bedridden brother and she does NOT need to, under any circumstances, deal with the undying affections of three *very irritating* men...//(I guess I didn't get that particular memo though, lmao.)
Relationships: Kaginuki Rem | Rem Arlond/Tachibana Lindo, Nanashiro Mage/Tachibana Ritsuka, Natsumezaka Shiki/Tachibana Ritsuka, Sogami Urie/Tachibana Ritsuka
Comments: 17
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

"Ritsuka, Ritsukaaaa..."  
There was a blurry figure, stumbling and muttering, making its way towards me. Every slow plod and eventual landing of their feet caused eerie ripples to fan out from underneath their sagging body...ripples?  
I looked down, my eyes taking an age to travel along pale legs and then focussing on bare feet standing atop-water! A hurricane of wicked fear loomed over me and was rushing, swirling, screaming all around me within seconds, then the cold hit me. Snow coated my insides until I was certain that a cut would only result in a snowy white avalanche erupting out of me, icy hands that seemed to hold me with their terrible claws dug into my taught flesh and drew out low, soul-crushing moans from my resisting body. They sounded scarily far away.  
Then hands were touching me, so cold I could've sworn everywhere they touched burned and collapsed inwards. They were crawling over my mouth and raking though my hair, digging in to my sensitive scalp, surely leaving brilliantly red gashes in their wake. The chill in my bones didn't stop me from looking into the eyes of this stranger who could evoke so much terror, and as I did so I heard my name being cried out-it sounded as if it came from some great distance away. Through the dark film of this nightmarish encounter and into some unknown future-  
"Ritsuka, Ritsuka?"  
I jerked up from my bed like a marionette with a particularly cruel puppet master, looking around, my head feeling like it wasn't my own, I saw my desk, the window, my books...yes, this was my room. But, where was that person? And what was that voice I heard? That voice!  
Quickly getting out of bed, shoving my feet into waiting slippers and shrugging on my nightgown hanging on the door I made my way out of my bedroom and into the corridor. The bright, blue moon accompanied me on my frantic dash through the top floor of the house and drawing nearer to the pained cries, I slammed open the door to my brothers room and stood, horrified, in the doorway.  
His body was contorted over the mattress, spine impossibly twisted, eyes vacant, red hair plastered to his flushed face and my name being spoken, chanted almost, over and over again-filling up the room with the emotion in it,  
"Ritsuka, Ritsuka, Ritsuka."  
I broke myself out of the temporary paralysis I was in, wrenched myself from the magic of the doorway-there was a sickening beauty in simply standing there. This alluring idea of just leaving him, just this one time. Of closing the door with me on the wrong side of it, of walking back to my room-the moon still following me-and leaving him to his pain and eventually hearing the cries turn to whispers turn to sighs.  
But reaching his side, pushing that familiarly messy mop of hair away from his alarmingly warm forehead, holding his hand-  
"I'm here Lindo, I'm here. Shhhh, shhhhh, be quiet, stop."  
My name died on his lips, his eye regained their warmth but looking close I could see his pain in the way he clenched his jaw and he still remained in that sickening position, looking like something unnatural, looking like he wasn't Lindo-my brother. I could see the muscles in his neck working, his tongue wetting his lips and then he was coughing and readying to speak. I tried to stop him, he was always far too removed from this world during one of his episodes and he wouldn't be thinking clearly-  
"It's horrible Ritsuka but I really thought you weren't coming this time and God, I don't think I could die if it meant leaving you here...alone, not being able to follow."  
He stopped, eyes fluttering closed. I felt this flower bloom inside of me, a wrinkled, sickly flower that unfurled it's petals of guilt and disgust within the deep recesses of my heart...to think, I almost didn't come this time and all he worried about was me. I leaned close and pressed my face into his neck, after kissing his forehead. Tears tumbled down my cheeks and fell into the hollow space that began where his neck ended, I could feel his shaky breath on the crown of my head and as I continued to hold his hand, my other arm now wrapped over his shoulder, I could feel the episode subsiding and slinking back into the night. As the tension left his muscles and he finally sunk into the mattress a slow smile found its way onto my face that was still pressed into his pyjama top.  
"You're so annoying, waking me up like that. 'Ritsuka, Ritsuka' I mean, cry-baby much?"  
I felt his chest shaking gently and heard the reassuring sound of his rumbly laugh, feeling better and knowing that the episode was definitely gone, I snuggled further into his side, wondering how I was going to move my lower half from awkwardly leaning against the wobbly drawer, to his bed.  
"Oh, shut up. I still remember, years ago, you crying and waking me up, making me go all the way to Mums room just for you to tell her that your tummy hurt. I mean, you were full on weeping!"  
This time we both laughed, the two contrasting tones and pitches sounding so natural and right together. I wriggled my way into the bed and pulled, more like heaved, the blanket over myself-we were both settling into a warm silence and as I looked to the clock on the far side of the room I saw that I had plenty of time until dawn would break. I closed my eyes and willed away the fear of the night, sweeping my brothers words away into the dark of the room.  
"I really thought you weren't coming this time-"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> This chapter is ridiculously short but my plan is to write all the chapters at a similar length and post them everyday so that I can actually finish the story, I'm determined to complete a fanfiction at least once in my life so fingers crossed!  
> I literally just finished watching Dance with Devils today and I really enjoyed it but i wanted it to go a little differently, hence why i'm doing this!  
> Please do let me know if there are any errors (spelling, grammer etc.)  
> I would also love to hear your opinions, views, feelings, critiques and whatnot on this chapter-so drop a comment!  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3


	2. Chapter 2

The sunlight was streaming though the half drawn curtains and into the spacious room, illuminating dust motes as they gently fluttered towards the floor. I opened my eyes wider and saw Lindo lying down next to me caught up in a deep slumber. The contentment I felt from seeing Lindo looking so free of worry reminded me of when we were young and the days were filled with steaming bowls of home-made food, love and peace all intertwined with each other to create the golden haze of a good childhood-and with Lindo always by my side. Looking harder at Lindo's face I realised that some things never change, he was still by my side...even after the death of our mum, the deaths of Aunty Marta and Grandfather, of knowing that we'll never know who our father was, or is.  
I shook my head, trying to clear the unwanted thoughts that were gathering in my mind like a particularly menacing apparition of grey storm clouds trying to smother my light.  
"Whatcha' thinking about, Ritsuka?"  
Lindo had woken up sometime in between my musings and had shuffled around in the bed so that his back was being supported by the beds head board, I mimicked his pose and sighed.  
"Nothing really, just that it's hard to stay so upbeat all the time-it's hard when so much shit has happened. Ya' know?"  
My eyes flickered over to Lindo's warm, turquoise ones and I tried to guess what he was thinking. Ever since the incident that left him unable to do anything without the constant threat of another episode looming over him and slowly squeezing all the life out of his soul he preferred to maintain a constant positive attitude and rarely let cynicism or negativity have their way with him. I tried my hardest to follow suit but Lindo had always been much better with his emotions then I had. Sure, there was a time when he was younger and even the idea of me being in any sort of danger or pain was enough to raise his hackles but time had worked its sweet magic on him and made a new man out of the emotional youth he once was. In many ways I deeply admired my brother, he never let anything get him down and has put family over anything else-even some sort of romantic bond. I can still remember all the girls that used to flock to him, like flies to honey-and how when a few boys joked that he would rather date me, his sister, over anybody else...well, let's just say it's hard to act so tough and inappropriate with several stitches and a broken nose. But even this rage and fury had petered out over the years until it had diminished to a small yet persistent flame within himself. Me, however? My naivety and childish thinking was long gone but I was still unable to control my emotions, especially when there were people I cared about involved.  
"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry to have to impose this idea of 'be happy or else' but I just now that mum would've hated to see us miserable and gloomy."  
"Yeah-you're right."  
I shot a small smile at Lindo before jumping out of his bed, glancing at the clock I saw it was about half seven in the morning and if I was going to make it to the Academy on time I would have to hurry. That didn't deter me from making up Lindo's bed once he got up with a weariness that made my heart ache and then I made my way around the rest of the house, doing a little tidying and making sure it was comfortable for Lindo to spend the rest of the day in.  
I was just contemplating whether or not I could squeeze in the time to quickly vacuum when a hand made contact with my head and ruffled my hair, the short brown strands quickly arranging and re-arranging themselves in messy styles atop my head. Turning I saw Lindo looking down at me with a fond expression and...he was wearing that ridiculously frilly apron again, which he called his 'I'm cosplaying as a hot maid'-apron. This dude is seriously weird, remind me again why I'm living with him? Oh yeah, because he's my annoying older brother. I think he could sense my sibling hatred because he smiled and gently nudged me towards the stairs,  
"Go, go get changed and have a shower. I can take care of all of this, I'm super maid-san!"  
That last part of his sentence was accompanied with a dramatic flourish, a childish peace sign brought up to his face and his hips jutting out at an alarming angle...this man was a fully gown adult. I reluctantly allowed a smile to grace my face and made my way up the stairs to get ready for work.  
//  
"And you're sure you'll be fine? You've got food, right? Oh, and-"  
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll be fine, if I have another episode I'll make sure to lie down, like I always do, and if something happens that I can't deal with, which is verrrrry unlikely, I will call you. Now shoo, there are teenage brains waiting for you!"  
I laughed at Lindo's nonchalant attitude and weird choice of words before telling myself off, he was my older brother for Christ's sake-he could handle himself. There was a little nagging feeling of worry buried deep within myself but I shrugged it off and blew a kiss to Lindo as I opened the gate with a click and made my way out onto the pavement. Seeing that he'd reacted to my kiss by pretending to...die? I quickly flipped him off and as his laughter followed me down the street there was a lightness to my step and a warmth to the world. Making my way to Academy I couldn't contain my excitement at seeing my new class, starting the new year was always fun-and fingers crossed their brains were as eager to meet me as mine was to meet theirs...Gosh, why couldn't Lindo just say that the kids were eager to learn?  
A smile followed me all the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> So I tried to introduce more of a natural sibling bond between Ritsuka and Lindo-  
> HUGE MASSIVE DISCLAIMER: In this AU Lindo has nothing but sibling affection for Ritsuka, there is no romantic attraction whatsoever. I loved Dance with Devils but that whole thing just didn't sit right with me.  
> ...  
> But, yeah-I really enjoy writing about Lindo and Ritsuka and I'm just giving them the good sibling content™ that they deserved.  
> If you have spotted any errors (spelling, grammar etc.) then do let me know.  
> As always, your opinions/thoughts/views/feelings mean the world to me so please thrown down a comment.  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3


	3. Chapter 3

The hustle and bustle of the Academy never failed to make Ritsuka smile and as she wove through the flurries of students, both old and new, she was so caught up in the familiarity of her actions she failed to notice several sets of interested eyes focused only on her.  
//  
"He's here? The Head of the board is actually here?"  
"Yeah, and he's brought along some of the board superiors along with him! I heard they have already set up their offices in the third library!"  
"How long are they staying-"  
"I heard they're gorgeous-"  
"And single-"  
I just about managed to squeeze past a huddle of my chattering co-workers and towards my pigeon-hole* when a pair of hands latched onto my satchel and dragged me into some dark corner of the staff room. I huffed out an amused sigh and stared into the wide eyes of my best-friend and co-worker,  
"Azuna! Long-time no see, or talk. How are you?"  
My enthusiastic greeting was met by a look on Azuna's face that just said, 'really?' I sighed, all amusement gone, and put both hands on her shoulders,  
"Look, I'm sorry for the radio silence over summer but the holidays are the only time I can actually spend with Lindo without stressing about work too much and-"  
I was cut short by a bubby laugh bursting out of Azuna, I looked at her-confused. She just laughed harder in response to my quizzical expression and soon she had doubled over and was laughing as if I had just said the funniest thing ever.  
"Azuna, what are you doing?"  
My enquiry was laced with no small amount of puzzlement and it managed to stop her giggling, she slowly straightened and wiped tears-tears!-from her eyes. Flashing me a look, face filled with mirth and a cheeky smile playing about her face I knew I was not going to like whatever she had to say,  
"Gosh. I'm not annoyed about that, silly!"  
I briefly allowed myself to relax, I had only known Azuna for the three short years that I'd been teaching at the Academy but her respect of my privacy and personal boundaries and then the totally natural feel of our friendship always managed to surprise me. Though my relaxed demeanour quickly changed when she finished speaking,  
"What I am annoyed about is how on earth you managed to conjure up an excuse to meet with the heavenly Head of the board and his equally heavenly friends! And so quickly!"  
I frowned, what was she talking about? I briefly remembered some of the teachers talking about boards and heads-of-boards-that-were-very-good-looking when I came into the staff room that morning but I had paid them no attention.  
"Huh? How do you know about all this?"  
My question was met with an exaggerated rolling of blue-green eyes, I swear one day the wind is going to blow onto her face and keep her eyes stuck in that ridiculous way. She seemed oblivious to this possibility and answered my question,  
"Soo, seeing as I'm your best friend I thought was it well within my rights to look through your pigeon-hole...to save you the effort of course-"  
Azuna sounded exactly like a small child who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar, except her relaxed posture and the twinkle in her eyes told me she was in no way embarrassed or regretful of her actions-that was standard Azuna for you.  
"And most of it was just boring stuff, notes and letters from your old students. Like I said, b-o-r-i-n-g!"  
I stared at her, incredulous. As if the heart-warming letters I occasionally received from my old students were boring! I was about to say just that when Azuna was suddenly shoving those aforementioned letters into my, now open, satchel. After a lot of tutting and grumbling from me, because 'Oh, Azuna! You're wrinkling the paper!' she triumphantly held up a small note, it was a light cream coloured piece of card with an intricate and beautiful insignia at the top-I recognised it but couldn't place my finger on where exactly I had seen it before.  
I reached out to grab it but Azuna snatched it away and, with a haughty, posh sounding voice, began to read,  
"Tachibana Ritsuka,  
Your presence is required in the third library.  
Make your way up immediately after reading this...  
And there's a signature underneath that but I smudged it when I picked this up earlier, sorry!"  
Ignoring the actual contents of the note I instead took it, successfully this time, from Azuna and looked at the signature-then back at Azuna's ink stained hand. She looked like she was going to apologise again for messing the note up after catching my narrowed eyes but I quickly spoke,  
"You managed to smudge the ink, that means the note must've been written and placed in my pigeon-hole seconds before you reached it. That's weird, normally notes like this are written well beforehand or given at lunch but this one wasn't. Why not wait? Or call me directly?"  
I looked to Azuna and I could see the clogs clicking in her head, that same look of intense concentration was probably mirrored on my own face. Why was the board so eager to see me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> So, I didn't post a chapter yesterday but i'm posting two today so that makes up for it i guess. They're just so ridiculously short that I would feel bad if i kept skipping updates and I am also really enjoying writing this so it's no sweat really :)  
> I introduced Azuna in this chapter, did you guys like it? I can't wait to further explore Azuna and Ritsuka's relationship, they were just so sweet together in the anime!  
> As always, do point out any errors (spelling, grammar ect.) I don't have a beta and I try my best to edit the chapters to a high standard but there's always a small margin for/of human error.  
> Please let me know if you liked this chapter, I really want to hear your opionions&thoughts etc. (massive shout-out to @littlekitty78 you have kept me so motivated and everytime you comment a huge smile appears on my face. thank you!)  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3  
> (*pigeon-hole=a set of small compartments in a workplace where letters/other notes are often left. everyone tends to have an individual 'pigeon-hole')


	4. Chapter 4

Because three very irritating men on the board had asked for me, was the answer to that question. Sogami Urie, Nanashiro Mage and Natsumezaka Shiki were all eagerly looking at me once I had entered the only room in the third library.  
It had been re-styled from what used to be a large hall that contained a table in the middle of it and a desk at the head to a modern office space, complete with five desks dotted around randomly, a kitchen area in the far right-hand corner and a curtained-off room to the side of the doors I had just stepped through. I let my eyes quickly flit over everything, the room sure looked very different from the last time I been inside.  
It was about three years ago now, I had been led on a tour of the Academy by a fifth year student who was also a prefect. It was just before I officially became a teacher here and something about the third library instantly captivated me, maybe it was the way the golden light flooded through the stained glass windows like a river of honey or the rich, musky smell of ink and books that filled every inch of the place. Either way, I was in love with it. The student guiding me around explained that it was a place reserved for members of the board that ran and funded the Academy, they would be able to work there and monitor the running of the Academy. According to my guide, no board members had visited the Academy for 612 years because...because-Ugh. I should've paid more attention...but, after three years that number would have increased. It's now been 615 years since the board has visited, I guess the decided it had been long enough, or their new Head has been switching things up a bit-took them a while!  
Either way, I was back in the third library and I now had three males surrounding me and they looked like they were...sniffing me!?  
~earlier on~  
"On a second inspection, it looks like there were three-maybe four-separate signatures on this note...hmm. But, Azuna, how did you know the Head of the board, or just some other board members, had sent this note?"  
I looked at Azuna, confidence was slowly seeping into her-whatever she had deducted from this note she was sure in her conclusion that note had been sent by the board.  
"Don't you know? Only board members set up office in the third library. The first library is for students and teachers at the Academy, the second library is for teachers only but students are often admitted in. But, the third library is for board members only. An invite is rare!"  
Memories and past conversations finally hit me and I mentally berated myself for being so stupid. It made sense,  
"The third library was exclusively for board members so an invite must've come from a board member directly-"  
"Or, like you said, three board members. Looking at this note it's clear that there were three names written but I smudged them together!"  
Azuna sounded fustrated and her neck was tilted to look at the note which was still in my hands, I then realised I had said the last part of my inner ramblings out loud...silly me. I wasn't done asking questions though and was about to open my mouth to try and get to the bottom of this when I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.  
I turned just as Azuna did and our eyes landed on a young man who was staring right at us, though I noticed his eyes had just darted away from the note in my hand.  
"I see you have received the note. My superiors wondered whether or not it had reached you due to you not arriving at the third library-you should have reached there by now."  
I didn't miss the slightly accusatory tone in his otherwise placid and even voice, a slight pink tinge was surely covering my cheeks-the note did say, 'Make your way up immediately after reading this' and instead me and Azuna had just been chatting.  
My thoughts were interrupted by Azuna pushing me towards the man who was wearing a light-blue suit that suited him perfectly but also made me conscious that I was far to under-dressed to be meeting any board members. But before I started to think too deeply about that I heard a whispered, 'Good-luck!' in my ear and Azuna had run off...typical.  
I again focused on the man and noticed he was about the same height as me and from what I could tell he looked to be of a similar age. As I was trying to decide whether or not I should actually ask him how old he was, he turned smartly on his heels and started to walk at a brisk pace. I was so caught up in trying to figure out how old he was, I mean-his eyes were big and young-looking but his features were schooled into such a serious expression that it was hard to really know, that it took me a while to realise he was talking...to me!  
"-name is Loewen but my superiors call me Roen most of the time, you'll be around me a lot more now so you can call me Roen too. And-no need to tell me, I already know your name...Tachibana Ritsuka."  
At the mention of my name I looked to him rather than at the posters I had been reading which were pinned up to the corridor walls and I saw that Roen had angled himself towards me. A smirk floated about his face and I felt unsettled by his previous words, 'you'll be around me a lot more now' I was just about to ask him what, exactly, that meant but he didn't wait for me to speak before continuing with what he was saying,  
"I assume you already know the names of my superiors, it was on the note...only their surnames though."  
There was a brief pause while he mulled over whether or not it was necessary to tell me their names, I was about to explain how Azuna had smudged the signatures so he really should tell me but he seemed to have made up his mind at just that moment.  
"Today, Ritsuka, you'll have the pleasure of meeting Sogami Urie, Nanashiro Mage and Natsumezaka Shiki!"  
I narrowed my eyes at his tone, he sure didn't make it sound like meeting these men was going to be in any way pleasurable but some of the tension was released from my body now that I finally knew the names of the people who had sent the note.  
Roen carried on speaking about his superiors and I could tell he didn't particularly like them-it seemed they thought of him as their pet dog! I smiled when he said that and he caught it, throwing one of his own back at me. He then stopped, abruptly, and I almost crashed into his back. I was about to ask why he had done that but then I realised...we had reached the third library.  
Without any warning Roen pulled the huge doors open and hurried me up the grand staircase that led to the room within the library, we were going so fast now that I had no time to look around at the beauty surrounding me. The brilliantly coloured book covers and the deep browns of the wooden book cases holding those books passed by me in a blur and soon we had reached the top of the stair case. My breath was coming out in short pants and my heart was caught in my throat, I wanted Roen to wait a little before he opened the second set of massive doors but he simply flashed me a smile, opened the doors and nudged me inside. I turned around to look at him and saw that he was already closing them, the loud noises reverberated around the room and he looked at me when he was done. I guess he could see I was confused and worried because he smiled again and moved to stand slightly in front of me, my eyes followed his movement and I turned away from the doors to keep him in my line of vision. As we moved I realised it wasn't just me and Roen in the room, there were three men sitting by their desks and their eyes were on me.  
"Introducing, Miss Tachibana Ritsuka. I brought her up here for you boys."  
Those eyes that were focused on me were sharp and they all carried this sheen of possessiveness and hunger…what had I gotten myself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> So-I hope that made sense. When it said ~earlier on~ we went back to Azuna and Ritsuka in the staff room so I could catch you up on what led Ritsuka to finally being face to face with the boys (Urie, Mage and Shiki) which was the scene I started this chapter off with. Then the story led up to her finally meeting them and now the next chapter will begin where this one left off :)  
> I'm happy with how this story is progressing-I know I sometimes jump around from place to place but i'm hoping that, with time, my writing will get alot better and will feel much more natural/fluid.  
> Let me know if there are any errors (spelling, grammar etc.)  
> As always, please leave a comment-I would love to hear from you!  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3


	5. Chapter 5

I heard the rustling of paper and saw that the three men infront of me were quickly closing note-pads, picking up and putting down dozens of different pens and coffee cups and hurriedly sliding the chairs they had been sitting on under their desks. I was in a daze, it's clearly not lunch time yet so why are they packing up? My question was answered when one of the guys came up to me and Roen, who was still by my side, and stuck out a large, tanned hand-  
"Nanashiro Mage, nice to meet you babe! I'm the Arlond board's Secretary-"  
He was cut off by another hand presenting itself before me, it was just as large as the previous one but it was a warm, cream colour this time-  
"Sogami Urie! I'm the Deputy Head of the Arlond board and can I just say you look delightful...butterfly-"  
I flushed at his compliment but was also slightly annoyed by it, can he not keep his opinion to himself? I didn't come here for a date. I couldn't voice these thoughts though because yet another hand had found its way towards me! This one was smaller than the other two and was so pale I could see blue-green veins within in startling clarity,  
"Natsumezaka Shiki, Treasurer for the Arlond board...with your cheeks as red as they are now I just wonder what things you're thinking about-"  
Shiki was cut off by the other two men, Mage and Urie, slapping him on the back of his head. My eyes widened in shock but rather than Shiki getting annoyed or angry, as the normal response would dictate, he just blushed and shivered at the cruel touch.  
"You couldn't have done that anywhere else? Maybe, somewhere a little lower..."  
His voice had gone breathy and he sounded like he was whining. At this machoistic and unexpected reaction my eyes widened even further and I forced myself to say something,  
"I'm Tachibana Ritsuka, as Roen just said-"  
I turned to Roen and we shared a smile before I looked back to Mage, Urie and Shiki. They were focussed intently on me and I met their gazes with a fierce one of my own,  
"I now know that you are all members of the board but your positions do not allow you to call me affectionate names, compliment me in a work setting or make inappropriate comments towards me!"  
I looked at the men, giving them each my best, I-will-kill-you stare, before resuming my impromptu speech-  
"I want to know why you asked for me and if you can't answer then I will be taking my leave."  
I looked to the three men, their cocky aura had dissipated by now and that had me smirking a little. That'll show them!  
I heard the sound of fabric rustling and I looked to see Roen with a hand to his mouth and his slender shoulders were shaking with laughter. My smirk turned into a small smile and Roen collected himself before speaking to me and the others,  
"I think that's the first time anyone's ever told you boys off like that, let alone demanded something of you! I think I could get used to it."  
Saying this, Roen threw me a quick wink and my smile widened. He had been so nice to me, maybe I should invite him out to show my thanks?  
"But right now I have to go, a servants work is never done!"  
Roen sketched me a bow and made his way to the doors, but not before I called out after him,  
"Hey, Roen!"  
He turned and those brilliantly blue eyes were locked onto my face, his hair, a matching shade of aqua, glimmered in the light and I boldly declared my offer,  
"Me, you and Azuna should totally get coffee sometime and talk about how annoying our bosses are! What do you think?"  
A surprised laugh spilled out from his mouth and the gleam in his eyes grew,  
"I say that sounds perfect and that I'll give Azuna my number when I head down to the staff room. And, Ritsuka?"  
My eyebrows raised at the question in his voice and I tilted my body towards him,  
"A word of advice, keep their leashes short."  
The sound of his cackly laughter trailed behind him like a shadow as he left the room and when the doors shut I turned back to Mage, Urie and Shiki who all looked thoroughly bewildered.  
They were standing together and still hadn't said shit, they hadn't even answered my question for God's sake! Ignoring how unusually close the three men actually were, with Shiki's arms hovering over Mage and Urie's waists as he continued to be sandwiched between the two, I cleared my throat and spoke up-  
"Alright, unless the Head of the board shows up right now, I'm leaving."  
I turned, mimicking Roens earlier movements when a velveteen voice to my right stopped me mid stride,  
"I'm here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> So, they finally talk! I'm pretty pleased with the pace of this story and soon we can get into the actual nitty-gritty (aka, romance) rather than just boring exposition.  
> Hopefully i've written Mage, Urie and Shiki well enough for you guys! Can you tell that Shiki is my favorite? Because, Shiki is my favourite...  
> Ritsuka is showing her fiesty side, something that she has gained as she's grown older. One of my pet peeves is a main character who can't take control once in a while, so i've written Ritsuka to be quite commanding. I hope that's okay!  
> And I wonder who the Head of the board is? Who on EARTH could it be? Hmmmm ;)  
> Any errors (spelling, grammar etc.)?? Let me know!  
> Views, thoughts, opinions, what you had for lunch???? LET ME KNOW!  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3


	6. Chapter 6

Slowly, I turned. The sight that greeted me was not one I had been expecting. Standing before me was the Head of the board, the Arlond board as I had heard Mage and the others say. Letting my eyes quickly traverse up and down his body I settled on looking directly into his teal coloured eyes, choosing to ignore his garish clothes. It seemed though that the others in the room weren't as willing to excuse the Heads peculiar outfit choice as I was,  
"...What the fuck are you wearing, Rem?"  
I turned to Mage, eyebrows raised-that was certainly one way to ask. Again I found myself pondering over the familiarity between these board members, they seemed to be close friends rather than colleagues. And their office seemed to be more of a place to chat and joke rather than to actually work, rather than to actually do what was expected of these elite members of the Arlond board.  
"For your information, Mage-I'm wearing a suit. A rather lovely suit...would you prefer I take it off?"  
There was a trace of affectionate and teasing flirtation in his tone and my shock and incredulity was at an all-time high now-I didn't think it was possible to feel so...scandalised over a conversation that I wasn't even part of! The Head of the Arlond board had just made a sexual innuendo directed at his secretary and no one had even blinked...was I in some cheesy romance anime?  
Before I could let my thoughts spiral, and eventually break the fourth wall, I heard a loud laugh and my attention was pulled back to the four men Infront of me.  
Shiki and Urie were leaning on each other and tears glistened in the corners of their eyes as their bodies were wracked with laughter. My eyes moved to Mage who had puffed up his chest and even though he had an expression of total annoyance stamped onto his face I could see the amusement in his eyes. I was stopped in my perusal of the scene playing out Infront of me by a cough and the curious feeling of someone staring at me,  
"Kaginuki Rem, Head of the Arlond Board. It's a delight to meet you...?"  
He petered off, obviously waiting for me to introduce myself so he could learn my name. That's weird, Mage, Urie and Shiki all acted as if I was their best friend-but Rem doesn't even know my name.  
"I'm Tachibana Ritsuka, it's good to finally see you Sir."  
Good might be stretching it a little...actually-a lot. I had just spent the better half of my morning being surrounded by idiots in the third library and now that the Head of board was finally here he didn't look to be any less idiotic than his Arlond board counter-parts, what with his goofy smile and...was that glitter in his close-cropped, blonde hair? I could practically feel the grief that this morning had caused physically ageing me and I sighed, ready to get this over and done with so I could leave and get back to teaching.  
"Sir, I was called up to your office this morning by your colleagues-"  
At this I turned to look at the three banes of my life and gave them an accusatory glare, they at least had the sense to look sorry and my scowl deepened before I looked back to Rem and continued speaking,  
"But I have yet to be told the reason for this impromptu meeting. I would be very grateful if you could shed some light onto this situation."  
My arms had crossed over my chest and I stood, waiting for what Rem had to say. An apologetic look washed over his face and his body seemed to droop as he opened his mouth and without even having to hear anything I instantly knew he was just as clueless about this whole fiasco as I was...  
//  
The next few minutes included me and Rem sighing a lot, Mage, Urie and Shiki alternating between giggling, slapping each other's heads and looking sorry and then,  
"So, you mean to tell me-that the only reason I was called up here was because...because-"  
I couldn't even get my words out, I was spluttering and stumbling over them because of how ridiculous it all was,  
"Because these bastards were simply curious and they thought I...I smelt nice?"  
At my furious tone Rem rubbed his hands over his face but I could see there was a small smile playing about his face, it really did sound unbelievably stupid when you said it out loud.  
"I'm so sorry Ritsuka. They never listen to me and they just love to interfere with other people's lives. I was in a meeting this morning and I guess they took that opportunity to wreak havoc and follow their noses rather than their brains, if you know what I mean?"  
The stupidity of the whole thing finally got to me and Rem's joke was the final straw on the figurative camel's back, I burst out into peals of laughter and when I finally managed to speak without breaking into bubbly giggles I thought it best to humour them and then make a quick retreat back to the staff room,  
"I guess I can't stay mad, you're all too dumb anyway-I don't think you could grasp the idea of permanence. Either way, I'm glad this is all sorted. I happily welcome you to the Academy and I will be taking my leave now."  
There were smiles on all our faces as we bowed and said our goodbyes, what I had said was true-it would've been hard to stay mad at them, their attitudes were so pretentious and cocky that it was impossible not to find it hilarious when they were finally knocked down a few pegs. I was just about to say goodbye when I felt my phone vibrate in my jacket pocket and whilst the boys were busy talking I went over to a quiet corner of the room to see who was calling me.  
The name that flashed up on the screen caused a cold spear of fear to strike though my heart and as my phone fell out of my shaking hands and tumbled to the floor I couldn't do anything to stop it. 

'Lindo (stupid older brother)' is calling...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> So, i'm sorry for the lack of updates but i've been feeling pretty unwell and I wasn't vibing with this chapter AT ALL. After some tweaking i've gotten to the stage where i'm like, if I don't post this right now then i'm never going to do it so...here you go. It's not my best work but it's a chapter and the story is moving along so just read this and then immediatly forget about it, m'kay?  
> I hope you liked Rem, he's finally here! He's a bit warmer here compared to his cool and collected personality in the anime, I hope that's alright!  
> Another chapter should be out tomorrow but I'm feeling so darn rubbish that it might just not make it, sorry in advance if that does happen.  
> If you've spotted any errors (spelling, grammar etc.) then let me know.  
> Please tell me what you thought about this chapter, feel free to drop a comment!  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3


	7. Chapter 7(Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning (TW): PANIC ATTACK/DESCRIPTION OF A PANIC ATTACK

For a split second everything slowed down, my heartbeat sounded like that of a sloths and I felt like I was falling from an impossibly high place-I could almost feel the air whooshing past me. And then time caught up with me. My heart was beating so fast and hard I was sure it was going to explode out of my chest, I could hear the blood furiously rushing around my body and then I really was falling. The feeling of my knees hitting the hard floor was something I didn't even register as my hands scrabbled around on the floor, trying to find my phone. My eyes were useless thanks to the tears that had welled up inside of them, already blurring up everything and making the room crystallise into a thousand tiny fractals. When my hands managed to grip onto the phone I quickly brought it up to my ear, realising too late that it had stopped ringing. A sob tore through my throat and I hastily wiped the tears from my eyes as I tried to call Lindo back, Over and over again my hands uselessly slammed against the glass of the phone but nothing happened, my tears were now landing on the screen and another sob rattled through me as I used the sleeves of my cardigan to clean them up. They just wouldn't stop falling, mimicking my heart as it plummeted.  
Nausea hit me and a sharp pain started to radiate out in crippling waves from my chest-I began to feel unbearably hot and it was as if I was burning inside of my clothes. The feeling of intense fear was debilitating and for a moment I thought I was going to die.  
Then, cool hands were reaching for me and lifting me up, the hardness of the floor was soon replaced by the plush and luxurious feel of silk and cotton on my back and legs...I think I was lying down on a sofa or something equally soft. My heartbeat slowed and before I could stop it, before I could tell them, anyone, to call Lindo back-to ask if he was okay-, I had to surrender my consciousness to the dark tendrils of sleep that were pulling me in and leeching away all of my panic.  
Once my eyes had finally fluttered closed a barrage of memories rushed into the fore-front of my mind, un-filtered and unstoppable. The unease that they brought was slowly building but in my current state I could do nothing but bear it and hope that I would wake up soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> It's really short but I wanted to post it because it was making me feel really un-motivated, just having this lying around and me not being able to finish it. And this chapter is just Ritsuka going through a panic attack so if that's a Trigger for anyone then you can easily skip/ignore it.  
> I will be back with a decently-sized chapter this Sunday (Part Two), so have faith!  
> I've also made a schedule for updates, there's going to be a new chapter every Sunday and because it's just going to be once a week i've also decided to increase chapter lengths, so there's that...  
> Thanks for sticking around!  
> Lots of Love & Thank You, Jane Doe <3


	8. Chapter 7(Part Two)

I could hear quiet murmurs and the sound of shoes softly hitting wood, the quick crescendo and eventually fading of this particular noise told me that someone was pacing up and down. But their footfalls didn't align with the voice I could hear…the voices. Realising I was going to have to open my eyes if I wanted to un-muddle my thoughts and get a sense of what was happening, I shifted slightly and brought my hand up to my head. Almost immediately the voices and the pacing stopped. It made me feel uneasy and I quickly opened my eyes, luckily the lights weren't too bright and the shadow being cast from my hand meant that I didn't have to immediately close my eyes or squint them. I could see a few figures leaning over me, that means I was lying down then. My vision was a little blurry so I moved, my elbows were now supporting me and I rubbed my eyes, trying to get rid of the cloudy film covering everything.  
"Ahh, she finally wakes! You had us worried for a second there, butterfly."  
I frowned at the unnecessary pet-name but looked towards the speaker. As Urie's beautifully symmetrical features came into startling clarity I realised where I was…I suddenly remembered who exactly the people surrounding me were and why they looked so worried.  
Memories of what had caused me to lose consciousness hit me and my heart rate started to pick up, I was reaching for my phone-Lindo needed me. My breath was leaving me in short gasps and I was shaking, again, tears already walling up in the corners of my eyes. But before I could be fully consumed by my panic, a glass of cool water was pressed to my lips and I could hear words floating around the room, breaking through the bubble of fear surrounding me.  
"Hey, hey, hey. You're okay, you're in the third library and it's Shiki speaking to you right now. You just had a panic attack and we put you on the sofa before you passed out, you might be having another panic attack…"  
The gentle voice continued to whisper in a soothing tone, the words washing over me and calming me down. I felt like I could breathe again.  
After some more shuffling and assurances I managed to sit up on the sofa, it was more of a glorified chaise-longue if anything, and I was now looking around at the men who had all decided to occupy themselves with one thing or another. No doubt trying to put me at ease. I shook my head and tried to gather my thoughts, I had to get out of here. I had to get out and get to Lindo!  
Standing up on wobbly legs I cleared my throat and three pairs of eyes instantly locked on to me, Rem was a little calmer in his movements and I appreciated it.  
"I…I have to go now but thank you and…I, uh,-That wasn't very professional of me, at all. So I apologise profusely for any trouble I have caused."  
I stopped speaking and winced at the silence that had flooded into the room, deciding that it was best for me to just leave, I started to turn towards the door.  
In a split-second, Mage was standing in-front of me. My lethargic brain struggled to compute how fast he'd moved, surely covering that distance in that short amount of time was impossible? Either not seeing my confusion or electing to ignore it, Mage started to speak-worry causing his eyebrows to furrow and his lips to turn down.  
"Ritsuka,"  
His use of my first name surprised me, wasn't that a bit too informal? Then I remembered I just had a panic attack in front of him and that thought was quickly dispelled. There's nothing like a panic attack to bring people together…  
"You just went through something very draining, emotionally and physically. I, we, can't let you go if you're in this condition, it wouldn't be right. And, don't apologise. This wasn't your fault and it wasn't something you had any control over."  
Mages words were true, truer than I'd liked to have admitted. In this state I couldn't go anywhere, let alone help anybody.   
"I know Mage, thank you. It's just…"  
I sighed and sat back down, my legs already threatening to fall out from underneath me. I didn't know what to do, was it alright for me to say this to them? I looked up and the warmth, concern and support I saw in the four men's eyes convinced me that I could tell them. They might not be able to do anything but they would listen.  
"A couple of years ago, my mother passed away. My brother, Lindo, was studying abroad in England at the time, and he came back home for the funeral. A few weeks into his stay…"  
I sniffled, all the painful memories rushing back. I felt a comforting hand on my back, Mage's, and heat spread out from that point on my back-it felt like my strength was seeping back into me. Reassured, I continued.  
"One night, I was complaining. Whining about there not being any food in the house, so he went out to buy some groceries. He was brilliant like that, always wanting to make me happy."  
I smiled a little, reminiscing about how he was always doing things for me. A gentle cough brought me out of my reverie and I saw Rem fidgeting,   
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Ritsuka. Losing a parent isn't easy. But your brother, he's not dead as well-is he?"  
Rem's voice was strained and I realised I had spoken about Lindo in the past tense, I quickly rectified my mistake.  
"No, no-sorry. I just meant…He got into a car accident on the way to the store. It was dark and rainy, a lorry veered off into his lane. He suffered serious damage to his spine, he's able to walk but he often gets these episodes of intense pain. There's been times when I've been too late to get to him, he was the one calling me earlier and I just panicked. It's been so long since anything's happened when I wasn't there and…and I just need to get to him."  
Again, silence commanded the room. But then,  
"We'll use the board's car, and we're all going. Now."  
Urie announced in a firm tone. I looked to him, mouth agape but before I could say anything there was a startling flurry of movement and before I knew it I had been bundled up in a roomy car with Mage, Shiki and Urie sitting with me. I looked over into the driver's seat, my eyes locking with Rem's, and I remembered what he'd been saying just a few seconds ago into his phone,  
"I don't care. You're not going to get here quick enough, you might be the chauffeur but I'm going to drive this time. Goodbye."  
As we drove towards Lindo, towards home, I felt myself relaxing slightly. It had been so long since I'd gotten this level of help, sure Azuna was amazing but she had a life of her own, she couldn't just drop everything and help me. Looking at the three men who were sharing the backseats with me I realised that they had done just that. Dropped everything to help me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi.  
> Is this a little longer than usual? I think so...hopefully it's okay!  
> I'm going to increase the length for the next chapter which is coming out next Sunday, it's a long wait but it'll be worth it! I was thinking I could write some one-shots during the week, I have so many ideas whirling about but I never really write them down. It also means I can practise writing and also get involved with other fandoms!  
> Either way, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We've gotten a bit of back-story for Lindo!! (Finally, lol)  
> Please leave a comment or kudos, see you next time!  
> Thanks, Jane Doe <3


	9. Chapter 8

"…What the actual fuck, Lindo?"  
I stared, incredulous, at my older brother. He was still wearing that maid-outfit and was currently balanced on a chair with a feather duster, stretching his arm out to reach an awkward corner. Some generic pop song was playing and it's upbeat harmonies trickled through the house, totally contrasting against the tense atmosphere in the room. My brain was struggling to understand what was going on, Lindo seemed to be fine…more than fine really-he was positively glowing. Who knew he got so much pleasure from cleaning? I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus. That didn't matter right now, what did was the fact that Lindo had called me earlier and he never calls…unless it's an emergency.  
//  
Screech.  
I was pushed into Urie, gravity deciding that my elbow in his face was the best place for it. His muffled groan was soon replaced by Mage bursting out a string of expletives as my body was forcefully pushed into his and…oh my god-my fisted hand was right in his crotch area! I hastily withdrew and started to apologise,  
"Oh, I'm so sorry Mage! I didn't mean to, and-"  
I was cut short by another 'Screech' and then I was in Shiki's lap, his chin whacking into the crown of my head…ouch. I brought my hands up to rub the sore spot, at this point everything was aching though. Shiki immediately wound his arms around my waist and locked his fingers together, keeping me in his lap. I was about to complain but considering how much damage I had already caused with my flailing limbs I decided it was probably for the best if I was…contained.  
"Aww, no fair! She was going to give me a hand-job Shiki, you can't just hog her!"  
I turned to Mage, his earlier expression of pain now turned into a smug one. He looked like he was about to say something else but before he could, or I could start to deny his…incredibly wrong accusations, Urie spoke up.  
"I think you'll find that me and Ritsuka were getting quite comfortable before you took her!"  
Urie smirked and at this point all I could see was red, how dare they insinuate I was doing anything like that! I'm sure if I was a guy they wouldn't be acting like this, and what is with their un-professional behaviour? It's infuriating. I'm their colleague, not a infatuated girl who only wants their dicks.  
"Actually-"  
I snapped out, wrenching Shiki's hands away from myself and shuffling along the seat to the far corner.  
"I wasn't getting 'comfortable' with anyone. I think you'll find that Rem's erratic driving is causing us all to move around much more than we would like. I would appreciate it if you could treat me with more respect, I am not your little play-thing. I am your equal."  
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out of the window, I wasn't going to give them anymore of my attention. Watching the streets and buildings rushing past I perked up when I realised we were getting close to my house, as we got closer it seemed Rem's driving got worse-if that was even possible. I was sure he was going to get his licence taken away by the end of this-  
"The GPS says we're a minute away, I'll just pull up in front of the gate and you guys can get out. I'll park up and then come in, so leave the door unlocked."  
Rem had craned his neck around to look into the back of the car, he was greeted with three sulking men and me.  
"Did Ritsuka tell you off again? Don't be so stroppy!"  
Me and Rem shared a big smile, he seemed to be the only one, along with Roen, who actually treated me as a friend and a colleague-not a potential girl-friend.  
As the car slowed and stopped outside my front gate, I got out and rushed to the front door-suddenly all the feelings of panic and fear returned and I practically launched myself into the front hall, already calling out Lindo's name.  
//  
"So, you're telling me…you accidently butt dialled me? Because, because-"  
"Ummm, I was trying to get some rubbish from out under the sofa and I fell onto my butt-I guess I must've called you then."  
I think I probably looked two seconds away from an actual aneurysm and/or killing someone because Shiki quickly interjected,  
"Well, that's great then. Sure-we had a bit of trouble but it's all okay and thank God nothing worse happened!"  
My anger dissipated quickly, it wasn't Lindo's fault, just his butt's, and Shiki was right-we were ridiculously lucky nothing had actually happened to Lindo. I was just about to voice my agreement when I heard a weird sound, a sort of…snort? I looked over and Mage and Urie were doubled over, shuddering and leaning on each other. The hilarity of the situation hit me like a sledgehammer and soon I was joining them, tears coming out of my eyes.  
I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom and when I had finally sorted myself out I went back into the main room only to realise they had all gone into the kitchen. Lindo had already brought the tea set out and was serving his special herbal tea for the guys, I straightened out my shirt and joined them at the table. Lindo came over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, leaning down to whisper into my ear.  
"I'm so sorry for worrying you Ritsuka, we were talking a little and they told me you had a panic attack."  
I tensed up and Lindo hurried on,  
"It's okay, we'll talk later-I just wanted to say how sorry I am. And how thankful I also am, what did I do to get a sister so lovely?"  
I wanted to say so much to Lindo but I just settled on squeezing his hand which was still on my shoulder, all my warmth and love flowing through my skin and into his. His smile caused the sun to burst inside my stomach and for the first time in this hectic morning I felt at complete ease.  
"This tea is brilliant, thanks so much Lindo."  
I looked over to Rem, he sounded weirdly enthusiastic. Lindo's tea was good but who gets that emotional over tea? I looked back to Lindo who was sitting down and nursing his own cup of tea, I was even more surprised by the soft blush gracing Lindo's features.  
"You're making me blush, Kaginuki."  
My eyebrows most likely went into orbit at this point, Lindo's voice had taken a shockingly flirty tone, in all my life I had never seen him doing that with anyone. I knew he was gay, he had told me a couple of years ago, but he's never actually gotten together with anyone. And now he was teasing Rem? Who was practically my boss?  
Casting my gaze over the table, at the five guys laughing and joking, I took a moment to breathe. Who would know my life could change so much in just a few hours?  
I was brought out of my musings by Mage's deep, rumbly voice-wait. Since when was his voice that attractive? Pushing back my intrusive thoughts I focused on the conversation,  
"So, you knew Lindo? You met him in England? How come you never told us?"  
Mage's barrage of questions took a moment to fully register in my mind but as soon as I understood I whipped my head round to look at Lindo, judging by the rapid paling of his skin I realised I must've been giving him my best, I-will-kill-you-if-you-don't-tell-me-everything-right-now.  
"Calm down, we were just lodging in the same building for a while. Lindo's student accommodation was going through some repairs, I swear every building in England is old as fuck. Anyways, we were roommates and we got along well. Naturally, when he moved back out, we lost contact…and that's it. Until now."  
Rem was looking at Lindo and the intensity in his gaze almost made me blush, they were totally eye-fucking each other! I was burning holes into the side of Lindo's head but he was already completely smitten with Rem and ignored me completely.  
What. The. Actual. Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> So, Ritsuka got a little pissed at how handsy/ballsy the boys were getting, so shout out to her for calling them the fuck out! And, omg-is Rem ALREADY in love with Lindo? That was quick! Lmao.  
> I hope all you guys, gals and non-binary pals enjoyed that! I'm pretty happy with this chapter so three cheers for me, I guess.  
> Let me know how you felt about this chapter in the comments!! Let me know if there are any errors too, I'm dumb and don't have a beta :)  
> Thank You, Jane Doe <3

**Author's Note:**

> Hi,  
> This chapter is ridiculously short but my plan is to write all the chapters at a similar length and post them everyday so that I can actually finish the story, I'm determined to complete a fanfiction at least once in my life so fingers crossed!  
> I literally just finished watching Dance with Devils today and I really enjoyed it but i wanted it to go a little differently, hence why i'm doing this!  
> Please do let me know if there are any errors (spelling, grammer etc.)  
> I would also love to hear your opinions, views, feelings, critiques and whatnot on this chapter-so drop a comment!  
> Thank you, Jane Doe <3


End file.
